IS Academy Year Two: Wings
by warriorseadra
Summary: Continuation from 'I.S. Academy Year Two'. Following our character in this story of trust, betrayal, and anguish as a new life is discovered in the I.S. Academy. Yet, leaving the Organization may not be so simple.
1. Fallen

You asked and here it is. The story continues in "I.S. Academy Year Two: Wings"

* * *

_I.S. Academy Year Two: Wing_

Prologue

Ichika paced circles in the waiting room. Less than half an hour had passed since the battle ended. Less than ten minutes had passed since Adrian entered emergency treatment.

"Orimura, I would like to ask you a few questions." a voice said.

The sudden interruption made Ichika jump. Turning his head, his eyes greeted a woman in front of the door way.

"Come with me." she ordered.

Ichika obeyed and followed her out the door. He recognized the woman as one of the agents who immediately appeared after the battle in the park.

The agent walked into the hall and opened a door on the right.

"In here." she said as she walked.

Ichika followed and sat down in a chair across from the agent.

As soon as Ichika settled down, she immediately began speaking. "I am agent K. as you know, we at the I.S. Academy detected I.S. activity and investigated. This investigation led us to that park where we found you, that boy currently in the emergency ward, and damaged I.S. equipment. After arriving, you asked us to "save" your friend. We then brought the two of you here and collected the equipment."

Agent K. paused and stared at Ichika measuring his reactions and expressions. After a moment, she continued speaking, "Due to the circumstances, we believe you connected to this situation."

'Circumstances' Ichika thought, 'As the "supposedly" only male in the world able to pilot an I.S. I tend to attract attention. Just last year, I dealt with Phantom Pain.'

"It's like I said on the way here. I went grocery shopping with my friend Adrian and we decided to take a break in the park. While resting, three drones attacked us. They shot Adrian and then attacked me." Ichika replied.

"How is your friend, Adrain, related? He was shot three times and upon examining him, we discovered his ring is an I.S. in stand by mode. He is not just a civilian."

'I.S.' Ichika thought, 'short for Infinite Stratos. A powerful exo-suit developed elven years ago that far surpassed all of the times modern weaponry. There was one problem, only women could pilot I.S.s. Since then, the balance of power shifted from men to women. Then it was discovered that I could pilot an I.S. last year throwing the world into chaos. I thought I was the only one...'

"I'm not sure how Adrian is related. They may have been after the I.S." Ichika lied.

"I see." Agent K watched Ichika closely.

"If anything develops, we of the I.S. Academy will contact you again." continued Agent K. who then stood up and left the room.

'I.S. Academy' Ichika thought as he stood up, 'The world's most prestige school in preparing the next generation of I.S. pilots. Since only girls could pilot I.S. it was an all girls school until I was forced to enroll. Whenever something I.S. related occurs, the Academy becomes involved.'

Concerned about the future, Ichika stepped into the hall and reentered the waiting room.

"Ichika, you're alright!" A voice cried out bringing Ichika back to his senses.

"Cha-Char?" Ichika replied, confused as a blond girl tackle hugged him.

Looking around, Ichika saw Cecilia, Rin, Laura, and Houki were also in the room.

"Ichika, we were so worried. We came here the moment sensei told us you were in the sick bay." Cecilia explained.

"When we got here, we couldn't find you and saw someone was in the emergency room." Rin complained.

"But, you're fine." Laura commented.

"Ichika, who's in there, Adriana?" Houki asked.

Ichika blinked, he had not noticed, but the girls had completely surrounded him with looks of concern.

Less than an hour had passed since the battle. Even less time since Adrian had been placed in the emergency ward. The recent interrogation caused Ichika to mentally relive the battle. His friends' faces reminded Ichika of Adrian's peaceful face dying on the ground.

"What happened?"

Ichika couldn't tell who asked. As he stumbled forward, everything spun.

"There was an attack..." was all Ichika could say before he collapsed on a sofa unable to say more.

"Uhhh..." Ichika groaned sitting up.

Opening his eyes, he saw he was still in the waiting room.

"Ichika, how are you feeling?" Charlotte asked in concern.

"I'm fine. What about..." Ichika trailed off as he looked towards the emergency room.

"That person is fine." Laura answered, "The doctor finished an hour ago."

"You've been out for three." Cecilia stated.

"Ichika, who's that guy?" Rin asked.

"And, what happened to Adriana? We can't contact her." Houki continued.

"""Ichika, what's going on?"""

"I'm not sure." Ichika responded walking to the door. "Did the doctor say where his room is?"

"203 on the left wing." Charlotte answered.

Ichika thanked Charlotte and immediately left the room. Confused the girls silently followed.

Ichika reached the room and knocked.

"Come in." a voice hollowly responded.

Entering, Ichika saw Adrian sitting up on his bed. The expression Adrian wore could only be described as blank. An empty shell from when he was Adriana.

'Or, this is his true face.' Ichika thought. 'Those smiles were starting to feel weird.'

"You survived..." Adrian stated, his voice remaining dead.

"What does that mean!" Cecilia cried

"Ichika, it's time you explain yourself." Houki declared.

Adrian faced the girls and spoke, "I tried to kill Ichika."

Immediately, the girls took defensive positions.

"It's ok." Ichika reassured them. Ichika turned to Adrian and complained, "Why did you say something like that?"

"It's true."

"Yeah, but...other stuff happened too" Ichika struggled to get his point across.

Houki then approached Adrian narrowing her eyes.

"Houki, what's wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"Adri-ana?" Houki questioned watching the boy's face.

If Adrian was surprised by Houki's observation abilities, Ichika could not tell. Not once did Adrian's lifeless expression change.

Shocked by Houki's comment, the other girls also approached Adrian.

"Tan skin..."

"Long messy black hair..."

"Black almond eyes..."

"And a light scar next to the left eye."

Adrian reacted to the last comment. Slowly, he raised his left hand and touched the scar. Gently, he traced it from beginning to end. He started on the corner where eye lid began and lowered a few centimeters. He then held his hand, lost in deep thought as though remembering something from long ago.

"What's going to happen?" Adrian suddenly asked.

"Are you just ignoring us?" Rin and Cecilia cried.

"What do you mean?" Ichika asked.

"Am I... to be interrogated and then killed?" Adrian asked.

Only silence could be heard. All anger and confusion was stifled by those words.

"Adrian... is that what you're expecting us to do?" Ichika asked.

"I tried to kill you." Adrian replied.

"You also saved me."

"You almost died because of me. Now everyone's in danger..."

"A- Adrian, are you..." Rin began, "Do you feel guilty?"

"Am I to be executed?" Adrian again asked.

"That is an option." A new voice intruded.

"Instructor." Laura greeted Orimura Sensei.

"Visiting hours are over, leave." Orimura Sensei commanded.

Ichika and girls left the room and walked to the cafeteria.

"Ichika, what's going on?" Cecilia repeated everyone's question.

"You said that man's name was Adrian, was that Adriana?" Laura questioned.

Ichika took a deep breath, and explained everything that happened that day.

"Tell me what happened, all of it." Orimura Sensei told Adrian in his room.

"I infiltrated the I.S. Academy as Adriana so that I could get close to Ichika. While her, I spied on Ichika, Laura, Charlotte, Rin, Houki, Cecilia, and both Kanzashi sisters. After the observation period, I lured Ichika away from the academy so that I could bring him, his I.S. and his I.S. core to my base. I was ordered to bring Ichika back dead." Adrian replied, his voice still dead.

"Yet, you didn't kill him and he claims that you saved his life."

"I couldn't do it. Then we were attacked by three drones."

"You fought the drones, together?"

"My ring acts as a communication device, a hologram projector, and an a stratos.

"Who sent you?"

"The organization."

"And?"

"I don't know much about them. Their goal is to return the world into a male dominated society. I think they act independently from any nation or government. Even my contact from Argentina was fake."

"Where is the base?"

"I don't know. Pilots aren't privileged with that knowledge in case they get captured. The base I operated in occupied at least few kilometers. It has a seven kilometer looped training course as well as other training facilities. While there, I never saw a window to the outside."

"There are other I.S. pilots in your organization?"

"There are, but I am not familiar with them. There were a few scientists developing their own I.S.s with their own pilots. My scientist only had me as a pilot."

"How did they discover you could pilot an I.S.?"

"In truth, I am unable to pilot a stratos. None of us can." Adrian paused to take a breath before continuing in his emotionless voice. "The scientists developed their own I.S. cores for the I.S.s they designed. For some reason, the previously selected pilots were unable to pilot the I.S.s they created, but they still could. They then search for "new candidates" to pilot their I.S."

"The I.S. cores they developed only worked for some men?"

"Yes, they gathered all the new candidates and checked us for qualification. We were told the I.S. core determines who can be its pilot. Once it selects its pilot, it will operate as the soul for any I.S. the pilot uses. My guess is that the scientist and I have something in common that the I.S. core liked. As long as I have that I.S. core acting as the soul of the stratos I pilot, I can pilot any stratos. Without it, I'm a normal person."

"How did those scientists develop an I.S. core?"

"I don't know. Oh, my scientist had me call him professor."

"How was it you could pilot our academy standard I.S.s?"

"As long as I had my stratos, it would bypass the original core in the I.S. and act as the I.S.'s core instead."

"Anything else?"

"No, that's everything I know. How long do I have?"

"Is that what you want?"

"I have another option?"

"Are you still a member of your organization."

"No."

"Enroll."

"But..." Adrian froze. Such a simple action seemed impossible for him. "I tried to kill Ichika, I spied on everyone's I.S.s, I-I don't even belong to a country."

"Ichika says you saved him, all the students here are ordered to spy on everyone elses' I.S. to begin with, and-"

**Thuak**, Adrian's head is slammed by Orimura sensei's textbook.

"That's for not reading your manual. It clearly states various solutions to students acting independently from a home country." Orimura Sensei scolded.

"So, what will you do?" She firmly demanded to know.

* * *

I hoped you liked it.


	2. A New Cage

A New Cage

Wednesday morning came and class 2a was as energetic as always.

As usual, Laura, Houki, Rin, and 7 other girls crowded around Ichika who sat behind desk waiting for homeroom to begin.

The door opened, with a voice saying, "Alright everyone, we're getting ready to begin homeroom."

Yamada sensei, class 2a's assistant homeroom teacher, entered, starting class.

As everyone settled into their seats, a girl cried out.

In unison, the class looked towards to the girl. Her face was one of utter disbelief, as she pointed with a trembling her finger saying, "Uahhh, ueeeeee."

As the class followed the finger's trajectory, gasps could be heard. Even Yamada sensei was affected.

"E-excuse me! W-wh-who are you and why a-are you here?" she flusteredly asked an unknown male.

Responding in an uninterested and bored tone, the boy stated, "Student, assigned to class 2a."

"When did this guy enter?" many girls questioned on the side.

"Wo-would you like to in-introduce yourself?" Yamada sensei stuttered.

"Not in particular." the boy replied, his tone unchanging.

The class grew silent at the remark. They were unsure of how to evaluate this male.

Yamada sensei recovered and said, "Please, introduce yourself so that we may know who you are."

With a sigh, the male rose and faced his classmates. "My name is Adrian." he said with a bow before re-seating himself.

Many girls began to whisper, "Is that all?"

"He doesn't say much..."

"Maybe he's one of those cool, silent types?"

"""Hwaaaaaaa!""" dreamy voices sighed

"Adrian... your name is just, Adrian?" Yamada sensei inquired still regaining her composure.

"Yes, there is nothing more."

"Well A-Adrian-san, thank you for introducing yourself, but I'm sorry, you can't sit there. That seat belongs to another student named Adriana."

"There is no need for concern." Adrian flatly responded.

"There isn't?"

"I am her."

"""EHHHHH!""" the class responded in shock.

"This personality is completely opposite from before."

"They do look similar."

"So Adriana was really a boy."

"This is just like Charlotte last year, only the opposite."

The students began conversing among themselves upon Adrian's reply.

"Hey, hey, so, are you really a boy?" a girl beside Adrian asked.

Adrian paused for a moment and then took the girl's hand. Unhesitatingly, he pressed her palm upon his chest for a few moments before letting go.

Shocked and embarrassed, the girl was reduced to speaking syllables. "Aaaa, ohh, uuuu, ehhh"

A smile crept upon her face and then, slowly, she pulled her hand away confirming Adrian was indeed, a male.

Another girl then asked, "What about your hair? Was it fake? It was so pretty."

"I cut it yesterday."

"""What a waste.""" some girls sighed imagining the male Adrian with long hair.

So began another day at the I.S. Academy.

…

"You enrolled?" Ichika asked Adrian, in the hall, during the break between classes.

"Yes." Adrian responded.

"_I...I want... I want to enroll." Adrian answered._

_**Thuak **Adrian's head was again hit by a textbook._

"_While a student of this academy, you will refer to me as Orimura Sensei! Do you understand."_

"_Yes, Orimura Sensei." Adrian quickly replied baffled the events transpired._

"So what are you going to do now?" Ichika continued asking.

"Not sure. Class is starting, let's talk later." Adrian replied entering the classroom.

….

Ichika led Adrian to the boy's locker room. Once there, the two began changing.

"Although they're both black, your outfit is different from mine." Ichika commented.

"They were designed by different scientists." Adrian replied.

"I kind like yours better."

"Really?"

"Yours is a tank-top, and doesn't show your stomach."

"That bothers you?"

"A bit." Ichika replied embarrassed.

"But, your I.S. functions better the more your skin comes into direct contact with it. Even if the I.S. suits eliminate the hindrance of clothes by ninety-nine percent, it still creates interference by one percent. Hence, we both have small shorts."

"Then why does yours come with ankle socks?"

"To protect my feet."

Ichika blinked and said, "You got ready pretty fast." changing the topic as they began for the field.

"I always were my I.S. suit. Even when I sleep."

"To always be ready?"

"Correct."

"You sound a bit like Laura..."

"..."

….

Adrian stood to the side and watched his new classmates battle each other. Yawning, he quickly grew bored.

"Adrian, it's your turn." Yamada sensei called out.

"Please don't ask me to do the impossible." Adrian responded.

"Adrian, are you saying you can't pilot I.S.s. We've seen you do so before as Adriana."

"These circumstances and those are different" A new voice declared.

Adrian turned and saw Orimura sensei walk onto the field as she continued saying, "Continue with your training. I'll be taking over now Yamada sensei."

…

With training finished, Adrian and Ichika were changing.

Suddenly, Ichika asked, "How did you pass as a girl?"

"Hologram projector."

"And how did you pilot I.S.s?"

"I'll explain when everyone is together."

…..

Adrian sat with Ichika at the dinner table.

"Ok you, talk!" Rin demanded reaching the table.

"What connection do you have with my bride?" Laura inquired taking a seat.

"Where did you come from?" Cecilia shrieked setting her tray down.

"You've been lying to us this whole time." Houki stated staring Adrian down before seating herself.

"You even pretended to be our friend." Charlotte cried in disappointment.

"""Wait, you got changed with us!""" The girls exclaimed realizing a new truth.

To their accusations, Adrian replied with the same monotone voice he had been using all day, "Those were my mission objectives." However, slightly, unnoticeable by anyone, Adrian had slightly glanced downward during his response.

"So, are you going to explain yourself?" Cecilia demanded to know.

"I will but, not here. Somewhere more private.

An uncomfortable silence befell the table as dinner was consumed.

….

"Currently, the I.S. Academy is providing me with protection due to my former connections with a hostile nongovernmental organization and for having knowledge comparable to national level I.S. technology." Adrian explained to Ichika and the girls who gathered into Ichika's room. Currently, he and Ichika were seated on guest bed. The others sat on Ichika's bed.

"Is any of that true?" Laura asked sitting on Ichika's bed.

"As far as I am aware, none of that information is false."

Adrian proceeded to explain everything he could while answering everyone's questions.

"So then, the only I.S. you can pilot is GX-07?" Houki questioned.

"Yes."

"What happened to it?" Charlotte asked?

"My stratos was confiscated by Orimura sensei. It's probably being examined by academy scientists.

"What about those other pilots you mentioned. Will they be infiltrating the academy?" Cecilia questioned.

"It's possible, but unlikely. A transfer would be too suspicious this late in the year."

"Couldn't one already be in the school?" Charlotte realized.

"Hologram projectors are difficult to develop. Even mine was a prototype. I don't think they made more. Some sort of assault is more likely."

"Targeting who, Ichika or you?" Houki questioned.

"Their main target is Ichika. Most likely, they now regard me as an obstacle like the rest of you."

"So, what are you going to do?" Ichika inquired.

"Attend class like a student."

"A student who can't pilot an I.S." Rin mocked Adrian.

"Even with out a stratos, I can do plenty."

Adrian rose to his feet, "I'm going to bed." he said approaching the door.

"Wait!" Ichika called, "Where is your room?"

"I tried to kill you, remember? My room is located closer to the academy security team." Adrian responded and left.

'Closer to the security team...' Adrian mused on his words during his walk.

Eventually, Adrian came upon a steel door in one of the academy's basements. Passing threw, Adrian proceeded to his assigned room. Looking around, it was different from Ichika's room. Hanging from the wall was a modest bed. Being underground, the room had no windows, only bare cement walls. In the corner, a desk, chair, and dresser could be found. Only his bare necessities had been provided for along with most of his belongings. Anything considered remotely dangers had been confiscated. Finally, unlike the other rooms, a camera could be found hanging from the ceiling.

'I was even given a full bathroom to keep me from wandering.' Adrian mentally noted as he washed himself.

'I've a lot of work to do.' Adrian thought getting into his bed. 'If anything, I will be considered the biggest threat to their existence.'

Soon after, Adrian drifted to sleep.

* * *

Second chapter complete. Not much happening here, just getting some back ground set. The story should start moving along a little faster now. Let me know what you think, thanks.


	3. Mending

I.S. Academy Year Two: Wings

By Warriorseadra

Mending

* * *

Adrian stops running as he reaches a gym.

"Done-" Adrian pants opening the door. "Next... one..."

Adrian enters and the sight of Houki swinging a bokken greets him.

Houki glares at Adrian, "You're up early."

"Morning training."

"What, sword work is part of your routine?"

"Yes."

"Were you running?" Houki asks noting Adrian's sweat. "How much did you do?"

"Seven miles."

Houki stumbles almost dropping her shinai. "Se-seven miles! That's intense!"

"I don't know what's going to happen next, I need to get stronger."

Houki's face relaxes into a smile as she accepts the determination and sincerity of Adrian's words to be true.

"Well then," Houki smirks, "how good of a swordsman are you?"

Houki points her blade to Adrian challenging him to a match.

Adrian stares and admits, "I have never worn bogu before."

…..

A door opens and Adrian enters student meeting homeroom. As he approaches his seat, he feels excitement in the air.

Curious, Adrian looks over to Ichika. Instead, he can only see girls.

"So Ichika, who's your partner going to be?" Houki asks her tone thicker than ice.

"Clearly it's going to be me, right?" Rin forces Ichika to choose.

"As my bride, it's only natural for you to faithfully fight alongside me." Laura states.

"With those three being personal pilots, it's impossible for us." a random student states.

"Yeah..."

"Wait, what about Adrian?"

"Yeah, let's ask him when he arrives."

"Gahhh! He's already here!"

"Wait, really?"

"When?"

The girls recover from their shock and flood Adrian's desk.

"""Adrian, Adrian, partner with me in the class league match!"""

"Impossible." Adrian flatly responds.

"""Wh~y?"""

"I don't have my stratos."

"You could use one of the academy's." one girl suggests hopefully.

"I'm a boy."

"Bu-but."

"Impossible." Adrian responds his tone indicating the end of the discussion.

As the girls slowly dissipate back to their seats, signs of rejection and disillusionment are heavy on their faces.

"Let's begin now, class." Yamada sensei calls out entering the room.

…..

Classes end and Adrian finds himself walking alone down a corridor. Although the place is different, the situation is the same to him. To his left, emptiness. On his right, silence.

"Hey you!" a voice calls out.

"Rin-san." Adrian greets, turning his head.

"What're you up to now?" Rin demands to know.

"Computer lab."

"For!" Rin's voice asks full of attitude.

A moment of silence passes and Adrian responds "...research."

"Really now? You sure took a while coming up with an answer!"

"Ichika is... too weak. All of you are. Your chances of winning are zero."

"We're weak? Even after everything that happened last year!"

The two continue back and forth entering the computer lab. A few minutes later, Rin cheerfully emerges waving bye.

"I never realized I had such a flaw, thanks!" She shouts into the room wearing a big smile.

Alone again, Adrian continues with his work.

…..

That night Adrian lays on his bed deep in thought.

'I fight.'

'You betrayed.'

'They attacked me.'

'You rejected them.'

'They asked the impossible.'

'They gave you purpose.'

'I reject it.'

'You once accepted their purpose.'

'No longer.'

'Weakness.'

'I found a new purpose.'

'Objective?'

'Survival.'

'Who survives?'

'All of them.'

'The abandoned mission?'

'That mission was... wrong.'

'You betray them.'

'They betrayed me.'

Adrian recalls the battle against the drones.

'They attacked me.'

'A result of your actions.'

'I accept the consequences.'

'You have new enemies.'

'I know.'

'You are not ready.'

'No one is.'

'You will all die.'

'I will fight.'

'To prevent?'

'To protect.'

'How?'

'I fight.'

…..

Adrian enters student meeting homeroom sets himself behind his desk. He looks over to Ichika's desk and sees that his friend is being driven into another corner. With a sigh, Adrian stands and walks over.

""" Ichika!""" Houki, Rin, and Laura are demanding.

"Ichika, we need to practice for the tournament."

"""Eeeeeeeeeeeeh!""" various girls respond.

"But Adrian, didn't you say you can't pilot any I.S.s?" one girl asks.

"I cannot."

"Adrian, how i-" Ichika begins trying to reason with his friend.

"I've already submitted the forms."

"Bu-but don-" Ichika begins complaining.

"Well, if it's going to be like this..." Rin trails off.

"Yeah, Adrian is a boy too..." Houki adds on.

"I suppose this alternative is acceptable." Laura finishes.

"A-Adrian, what are you planning?" Ichika stutters, regaining his ability to speak.

"Training, fighting against multiple opponents is an essential skill."

"So you're not going to fight!"

"Impossible, I will instead provide support. Also..." Adrian trails off.

"Also?" various students press.

"Also, as a student, I-I have to compete as well..." Adrian hesitantly responds.

Many students stare. Rarely did Adrian's voice shake.

"Wow, he's embarrassed,"

"Yeah, usually he calm, collected, indifferent, and emotionless."

"More so than Laura."

"""Yeah."""

Yamada sensei enters beginning the day's classes.

'Ichika,' Adrian thinks of his friend, 'next time they attack, the possibility of being out numbered is very high. If you do not get stronger, then not only you, but everyone will die. However, I will not let that happen, ever.'

…..

In a room deep beneath the academy, an automated door opens. Footsteps entering the room follow.

"You called for me, Sensei?" Adrian asks entering a room full of computers and I.S. equipment.

"We have a few questions concerning GX-07. We've been studying it, but somethings don't make sense. Tell us what you know beginning with the generation model."

"My stratos... it is a proto-type generation four using fold-out armor on the wings allowing for rapid change between mobility and combat."

"A generation four... How did the scientist come across this information." Orimura sensei narrows her eyes.

"I don't know. My stratos was developed a year before Houki's."

"Tell me, which of you two has the better I.S.?"

"Houki, not only does Akatsubaki have better combat abilities, it is also currently the fastest stratos in the world."

"Before Akatsubaki was developed, how did your I.S. rank?"

"Over all, my stratos is stronger than generation three models. At one point, it was the fastest stratos we knew of. Currently, the third fastest stratos is held by someone else in the organization, but that is only a generation three."

"I see." Orimura sensei responds thinking over the new information, "What weapons does GX-07 possess?"

"First would be the the six wings. Each wing has three joints giving it four sections. The first section extends from the back with a length of four feet. From the back, the wings can rotate, rise, and lower itself much like your arm. The second section is three feet long and allows the wings to move in front of me. The only motion it possess is vertical movement. The third section is also three feet and only has vertical movement as well allowing for cutting and slashing. The final section is the blade and is two feet long. It can project a beam increasing the length by another two feet giving the total of a four foot blade."

"This is the primary weapon?"

"No, just the opening. The main weapon would be the six katana stored within the second section of each wing. Each is just a hilt but materializes a blade once drawn. The storage allows for surprise iai draws combined with reiraku byakuya and barrier void for an instant death."

"Each katana is capable of cutting energy? I don't suppose you know how the scientist came across this weapon either?"

"I do not."

"Then, how does GX-07 solve the high energy consumption?"

"The concept of partial deployment was used. The scientist theorized that if a stratos can be partially deployed, then the deployed piece being capable of independent function can be semi-autonomous to the main body. If that were the case, then it could also have it's own energy source. Each katana draws from an independent, internal energy source. Once the energy is depleted, I switch to the next katana."

"Then, GX-07 was developed for the intention of extended deployments?"

"Yes and no. I am the sole member of my team and am at a disadvantage when fighting multiple enemies. In the worst case, my stratos' energy would deplete before the battle ends. To compensate, my supply energy needed to be increased. In terms of percentage when comparing to the average generation three stratos, the main body possess seventy percent the average amount of energy, each katana possess fifty percent the average, and each arm possess sixty percent."

"Do the arms serve a purpose?"

"The arms function a bit independently from Stratos' main body as well. Stratos is fully capable of functioning without using the arms. Each arm possesses a triple barreled wrist blaster and shield."

"Anything else?"

"Just one. Stratos is composed of an experimental metal, gundorim. Gundorim is capable of resisting beam weaponry to high degree and possesses high durability to physical attacks as well, lowering the consumption of shield energy."

After a brief pause, Orimura sensei comments, "You changed GX-07's name."

"I did?"

"You began referring to it as 'Stratos' towards the end. Don't forget, at the moment, Stratos is no longer yours."

"Yes, sensei..." Adrian replies his voice masking any sadness.

"You are dismissed. Go eat dinner."

The door opens and Adrian leaves.

"How was it?" Orimura sensei asks.

A woman in black clothing emerges from the shadows.

"Everything he says matches the data we gathered from the I.S. Still, we will continue to observe him."

"Is that so, agent K?"

"It is possible that this is all a trap. By the way, Orimura sensei, I've heard that Adrian and Ichika-kun are team mates in the up coming competition. Aren't you concerned for your little brother?"

"Ichika can take care of himself."

"Oh, but from who?"

…..

Adrian turns around a corner and immediately side steps a platinum blond woman brushing past him. Stumbling, the woman falls to the ground.

"Cecilia." Adrian recognizes the girl. He recalls that out of all the girls, this one had been the most annoying to deal with as Adriana.

"Pardon me." Adrian says ignoring the encounter.

"Hold it! A lady falls over before you and don't even bother to help her up? How barbaric!"

Adrian pauses and against his better judgment, assists the fallen Cecilia.

"Now, was that so hard?" Cecilia lectures Adrian once she's back on her feet. "Next time, watch where you're going!"

"Understood." Adrian replies his voice hiding any dread.

"Good, now as a man, it is your duty to escort a lady such as myself to the cafeteria!"

"Yes." Adrian replies as his soul fades away.

"Carry my bags."

Like a robot, Adrian takes Cecilia's bags and follows after her.

"Hey, you're not too bad of a person. You can be a pretty decent gentleman. Now, if only he was like this..." Cecilia begins to rant.

…..

"Seven seconds" Adrian responds to a question.

"Correct."

"Now class-"

'Ichika is too slow,' Adrian recalls the previous day's training. 'and his turns need to be sharper. Over all, he's weak.'

Adrian deeply considers the best ways to train Ichika.

'That could work.' Adrian conceives an idea.

…..

Unable to find a seat at Ichika's table for lunch, Adrian instead sets his lunch tray at an empty table by a window. In silence, he begins to eat his meal.

"**Clank**," Adrian hears a tray softly being placed on the table.

"Charlotte?" Adrian asks in puzzlement looking at the new comer.

"I hope you don't mind." Charlotte smiles back, sitting down.

"No, not at all..."

"Eating by yourself is lonely after all." Charlotte suddenly says answering Adrian's unspoken question.

"You were late to lunch too?"

"Yeah, then I saw you here and came over." Charlotte admits.

"Most tend not to notice me..."

"You don't really give off much of an existence. You feel as though you lack a purpose."

Adrian raises an eyebrow.

"I was the same not too long ago. After my mother died, I felt lost, like I didn't have anywhere to be. Then my father took me in and gave me a purpose. It was a shallow purpose, but still a reason to live. Then, after I left him, I again had nothing and have been rebuilding myself up since then."

"Was this when you enrolled as a male student?"

"You heard?" Charlotte blushes.

"A little."

"Oh," Charlotte breaths in relief.

Adrian inhales.

Charlotte smiles, "That is because, I also enrolled to deceive Ichika. The purpose my father gave me was to befriend Ichika to study him and his I.S."

Adrian stares bring a giggle from Charlotte.

"As I got to know Ichika," Charlotte continues, "I too found myself unable to continue with my assignment. Eventually, I abandoned it and my purpose."

Adrian remains silent.

"Laura is my room mate," Charlotte responds, " I've learned how to pick up on unspoken questions."

A very soft, very light smile creeps onto Adrian's face.

…..

"Ichika, I got you a pair of partners for today's practice." Adrian tells Ichika over the communication link.

"Really, who?"

"Just don't die before the second one arrives." Adrian continues ignoring Ichika's question.

"Hey Ichi~ka! Long time no see!" Adrian over hears."

"Ta-Tatenashi!" Ichika shouts in fear.

'Ichika,' Adrian silently calls out to his friend, 'Tatenashi is only a fraction of the strength you will be facing.'

"I was asked to help too." A new voice comes across the link with the sound of missiles following.

"Kanzashi, when did you arrive!"

'Although these two good synchronization,' Adrian continues, 'future attackers will have years more experience and greater team work than they do. But for now, they are perfect for you.'

"Gyahhhhhhh!" Ichika's scream rings threw the link.

'Lose this match and loose it well, Ichika. If you don't see how weak you are, you'll never get stronger.'

…..

"Really, again?" Adrian over hears in the hallway the next day.

"Yeah, just like last year."

"Muuu, in that case I have to win!"

"But remember, don't tell him."

Shrugging the conversation as unimportant, Adrian proceeds to the classroom. Entering, he sees that many of the girls are eying Ichika while whispering amongst themselves. Some were even salivating.

'Creepy.' Adrian thinks siting behind his desk. 'This must, be related to the earlier conversation.'

"Morning Ichika!" Rin shouts entering the classroom.

"Ah, Rin, good morning." Ichika replies.

"""Hu~a...""" many girls sigh.

"What were we thinking."

"We can't compete against personal I.S. users."

"No, I refuse to give up!"

The girls look back to Ichika only to quickly look away. Their eyes burn brightly spirit.

…..

"**Chilk**," Adrian loads the rubber bullets into the pistol. A final check shows he is fully equipped, Adrian steps out onto a dark, fog covered field.

"Armed combat simulation, level five, starting now." A mechanical voice resounds.

Crouching, Adrian rushes into the field, taking cover behind a low wall.

Adrian fires his pistol hitting a drone on the right and continues further into the field.

Ducking beneath a bridge, Adrian replaces the clip to his gun. Hearing movement, he spins around the corner and fires.

'Self automated drones, perfect training targets.' Adrian muses shooting another in the head.

'They even fight back.' Adrian dives over a wall feeling the air streak over his back.

Landing with a roll, Adrian rises to his feet and surveys the surroundings as he takes cover.

Adrian hears foots steps approaching from the side and prepares himself. Holding his gun, he steps out, takes aim, but does not pull the trigger.

"Laura?" Adrian questions slightly relaxing his arm.

In response, the girl throws a knife.

Adrian slightly tilts his left allowing the knife to harmlessly fly past centimeters from his face.

"Don't lose focus." Laura reprimands as the sound of metal piercing metal is heard.

Adrian fires his gun striking a drone appearing behind Laura.

"Same to you." Adrian smirks.

The two run off in search of cover.

"Why are you here?" Adrian asks between his rounds.

"Looking for you." Laura responds while flinging her knives, "You've partnered with my bride."

"Ichika needs to be stronger."

"How much?"

"At least stronger then Tatenashi."

"Impossible."

"I know."

"Your response?"

"To train as much as I can."

"You also understand the importance of training outside of an I.S.?"

"A stratos is only as good as the pilot. Some reflexes and abilities can be better developed outside of a stratos."

"If only my bride were as serious..."

"It would make training him much easier..."

"Warning, level change, entering level seven, beginning now." The computer's voice resounds throughout the field.

"Did you change the combat level?" Adrian asks.

"No, the highest I train at is level four."

"...My limit is level five..."

The teens feel a slight chill run down their spines.

"We should leave." Adrian suggests.

"Agreed."

The two begin for an exit only for an explosion blows them away.

"Grenade launchers..." Laura states in shock.

"This is new." Adrian displays equal surprise.

Seeking shelter behind a wall, the two retaliate against an approaching mob of drones.

"I have other things to discuss with you as well..." Laura comments after the last drone of the mob is defeated.

"We have plenty of time..." Adrian responds firing at an unsuspecting drone.

…..

"Fufufufu~n." A face hidden behind a fan giggles in the control room. "You will never get any stronger if you don't push yourself my little, cute, over serious, kohai."

"But Nee-san, isn't the highest you can handle level six?"

…..

The days go by and everyone continues to prepare. Finally, the class league match arrives.

"Why did you get changed?" Ichika asks Adrian who is wearing his I.S. suit.

"Moral support." Adrian replies flatly, "We are still a team, even if I am not directly fighting."

"Right..." Ichika responds making a face.

"Relax, just remember, don't let them lead you and focus on both targets."

"Do you really think I'll win."

"You can definitely defeat Rin and Cecilia. They have horrible compatibility with each other. They were unlucky that their original partners got sick."

Ichika sighs in relief. "What about the other matches?"

"Other than Madoka, all the first years shouldn't be a problem either. You much more experience as a pilot than they do. The same applies to all non personal stratos users."

"Just the non-personal I.S. users?" Ichika asks.

"You will lose if even one of them has her own personal I.S. So when you come across them, just experiment and figure something out for yourself."

"...Thanks for the support." Ichika replies, his voice full of dejection.

"Let's go, we have the first match and it's starting." Adrian reminds his friend while walking for the door completely ignoring Ichika's plight.

…..

"Excuse me, could I see your ticket?" Agent K asks a young man with a braided pony tail.

"Mine? Well sure." The teen replies holding out his phone, "Everything is in order I presume?"

"Looks fine, what's your name?"

"Duo Axel."

"How did you come across this ticket, Duo?"

"This, I saw it on an auction the other day. It was a once in a life time opportunity, so I had to have it."

"How do you explain you black priest outfit?"

"I volunteer at a church."

"Really now?"

"Hey, I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie."

"Very well, carry along" Agent K sighs walking away muttering about how student carelessness is endangering the academy.

…..

Adrian sits in the control room behind a monitor. Before him, he sees Ichika preventing a pincer attack from Rin and Cecilia.

"Ichika, Rin is preparing her cannons."

On the monitor, Ichika is seen disengaging Cecilia and swerving to the side.

"Keep weaving, she's using rapid fire. Don't forget Cecilia's drones."

On the monitor Ichika randomly moves left, right, down, and back attempting to prevent Rin from locking onto him. At the same time, Cecilia's four drones follow him.

"Dive now!" Adrian commands.

Ichika dives to the ground showing the trust he holds for his friend's judgment.

Above, Rin's attack destroys one of Cecilia's drones.

'Perfect.' Adrian smirks.

"You idiot, what are you doing?" Everyone hears Cecilia shriek.

"Me? You're the one getting in my way!" Rin retorts.

Taking a breath, Adrian leans back on his chair.

'Ichika can handle the rest from here.'

On the screen, Ichika double Ignition boosts himself towards Rin. On the side, Cecilia is seen firing her rifle. However, the bullet misses and flies for the shielded wall.

As Ichika is about to strike down Rin, the same section of wall explodes.

Immediately, Adrian sits up and examines the situation.

'There's nothing there...' Adrian analyzes the hole. 'But, there's no way Cecilia's shot was powerf-"

"Gyah!"

Adrian's thoughts are cut off as he hears Cecilia cry out. On the monitor, he sees Cecilia holding up her rifle attempting to repel some sort of attack, but there is nothing there.

The computer does not show any trace of a person other then Ichika, Cecilia, and Rin in the arena.

An alarm goes off and Orimura sensei's voice commands the students to evacuate.

"Useless." Adrian growls rushing to a window. Before him he sees a new teenager, with a braided pony, piloting a black stratos. Immediately, Adrian notes four appendages emerging from the shoulders. Two going forward and two back. The two on the front are lifted resembling a pair of demon wings while the two on the back are down resembling a cloak of sorts.

"They must act as a shield of sorts." Adrian theorizes.

On the left arm lies a shield combined with a pile driver. In the right hand is rocket propelled beam scythe arrogantly swung over the right shoulder. However, two different details catch Adrian's attention the most. First, this pilot was a male. Second, on males forehead was a black tiara with nostalgic golden v.

Immediately, Adrian leaves the control room.

…..

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ichika demands of the intruder.

"I'm the god of death and I'm taking you to Hell!" The Duo shouts charging forward.

As Ichika braces himself for the confrontation, a spray of bullets catch him off guard and knock him back.

From the hole, Ichika sees another I.S. emerge, red in color. He notes smoke emerging from twin barreled gatling gun on the right arm. Strange boxes were mounted on the legs and shoulders.

"Another male... and underneath his bangs is... another golden v-ed tiara." Ichika notes.

"You evacuated the arena, I'm glad." The new comer announces, "I can't let anyone who's seen me live. With this, I can accomplish my mission without destroying everything!"

"What?" Cecilia cries in confusion.

"Who do you-Gyahhh!" Rin cries out as a dragon's head jets onto her stomach pushing onto a wall. The head releases Rin and reels into the hole where it rests on the left arm of another young man piloting a green I.S. and wearing a golden, v-ed tiara.

"Weaklings like you don't belong on a battle field." He declares pointing a beam trident in his right hand.

'You're... Chinese." Rin manages to say as she rises back onto her feet.

'What's going on? Are these the people Adrian kept warning me about?' Ichika wonders trying to make sense of the situation.

"What do you want?" Ichika calls out.

…..

"Orimura sensei, the students have been evacuated, and the guards assembled." Yamada sensei informs her fellow instructor.

"Good, send them in."

"You are all clear to attack." Yamada sensei reports into a head set.

"Defense squad, do you copy?" Yamada sensei asks, "Defense squad, are you there?"

"Orimura sensei, no one is responding." Yamada sensei declares, her voice full of panic.

"What?" Orimura sensei exclaims.

The screen behind Orimura sensei shows that the battle between Ichika, Cecilia, and Rin against the invades has begun.

…..

"You should have surrendered." A blond, young man piloting a black and white I.S. sadly tells twenty defeated I.S. pilots. In his hands are a pair of glowing red shotel. Like the pilots, this one also wears a tiara with a golden v.

"Quat here, I've eliminated the defense squad." The blond says, "I'm now continuing with the primary objective."

…..

Ichika's sword cuts threw the beam scythe's scythe and clashes against the staff.

"Say, how's about you stop fighting against us and join us instead?" The enemy pilot suggests.

"Not.. a chance!" Ichika grits threw his teeth.

"Fine, have it your way." Duo replies as the beam scythe's scythe re-materializes and the rocket ignites. The attack over powers Ichika's sword, knocking it to the side, and slashes Ichika's chest.

…..

Rin slashes at the Chinese I.S. pilot with her souten gagetsu. The man parries the attacks to the side with his beam trident and continues swinging with the opposite end delivering a slash thus revealing his weapon is a double beam trident.

"Is that all you have?" The man taunts, "You don't stand a chance against Nataku and I."

"Shut up!" Rin responds firing her impact cannons.

The male dodges to the side and punches with his left arm. The dragon head resting on the forearm covers the hand as the arm extends and bites onto Rin's shoulder. Upon contact, a flamethrower fires from the dragon head.

"Seriously, give up." The male demands over Rin's screams.

…..

Cecilia blocks an attack with her combat knife. The enemy in the red I.S. attacks with his own combat knife showing he is well aware that Cecilia is weak in close quarter combat.

"Gehh!" Cecilia grunts as her opponent gets past her guard.

The opponent uses the opening and clubs Cecilia with the barrels of his gattling gun.

As Cecilia falls back, the male says, "Taking advantage of an opponent's weakness is a basic tactic in combat."

The boxes on the males shoulders and legs open launching missiles towards Cecilia who is on the ground.

…..

Adrian runs down a hall. Occasionally, he glances at a ring on his left ring finger.

"I hope we're not too late."

Entering an intersection along the hall, Adrian stops and forces his momentum backwards as the air before him ripples.

Adrian turns his now armored head and sees a blond man holding a smoking machine gun.

The man digitizes him machine gun and calls out a pair of shotel.

"Surrender your I.S. and turn yourself in. If you do, I'll spare your life." Quat recommends.

Adrian rushes Quat using his three right wings forcing him onto the wall.

"Fine!" Quat responds beginning to resist Adrian's push.

Refusing to allow Quat a chance to counter attack, Adrian increases his trust and rams his shoulder into Quat. The force of the attack proves to be more than the wall can take and it collapses leading the two onto a stage.

As Quat flies backwards, Adrian continues his charge while bringing his right hand down to his left hip. Grabbing a hilt from his lower left wing, Adrian slashes Quat with an iaido draw. He stops and blasts the teen with his left wrist blaster.

Adrian guards himself with his sword while waiting for the smoke to clear.

As the smoke dissipates, Adrian sees Quat's outline holding the two shotel.

'Nothing.' Adrian notes.

"Surprised?" Quat asks. "Your attacks won't work on me."

'His armor is too thick and wide spread.' Adrian observes his opponent while considering the situation, 'He doesn't depend on the I.S. shield, nor energy attacks. Instead, his stratos focuses on metal armor and weapons. The effectiveness of reiraku byakuya and the barrier void attack have been reduced.'

Quat, tiring of the stand off, charges Adrian with his shotel ready.

Adrian meets Quat with his own charge. He uses his upper and mid, right wings with his lower and mid, left wings to intercept Quat's right and left shotel respectively. Then, using the opening, Adrian cuts downward with his sword. Quat responds using the curves of his shotel to grab and pull Adrian's wings forcing him off balance. Adrian's cut harmlessly bounces off Quat's shoulder armor as Adrian disengages and pulls back.

'Normal armor would have been cut with that.' Adrian notes.

Observing Quat, Adrian realizes that the shotel are beginning to glow red.

…..

Duo and his companions are simultaneously struck from behind. Recovering from the blow, the three turn and see three new I.S. emerging from their entrance. One is a red I.S. holding a rifle, another is a black I.S. with a railgun, and the final I.S. is orange with a bazooka.

"The rest of the guardians have arrived, huh." Duo states.

Immediately, Houki, Charlotte, and Laura charge the invaders.

Houki, with her katana ready, slices at the green I.S. The pilot blocks the attack with his double ended trident.

"Fool." The pilot grins.

From the pilot's back lifts a scorpion tail equipped with two small cannon. The cannons fire on Houki at point blank, blowing her away.

…..

Charlotte, charging the red I.S., stores her bazooka and summons two garm machine guns. As she closes the distance, she begins firing.

The red I.S. dodges to the side, simultaneously aiming his double barreled beam gatling gun. The gun spins, but only makes a clicking sound without firing any shells.

Charlotte grins switching to a pair kukari blades as she reaches her enemy. As she swings her blades, the chest of the red I.S. opens revealing two chest sized gatling guns.

Charlotte's eyes widen as the guns fire, blowing her away.

…..

Laura charges Due screaming, "Stay away from my bride."

"Bride?" Duo exclaims, "Don't you have that backwards?"

"Keep away!" Laura responds, trying to constrict Duo with her wires.

Duo cuts the wires with his scythe and falls back a few meters.

As Laura chases after, Duo raises his left arm and fires his pile driver shield.

Not having enough time to dodge, Laura stops the shield with her AIC.

Duo uses the opening to get behind Laura and delivers a slash to her back.

…..

'It's a heat shotel... Heat weapons differ from normal metal weapons by using heat energy to strengthen the metal. This one seems to use kinetic energy from attacks as its source.' Adrian notes looking at his broken katana.

Adrian discards his katana, allowing it to dematerialize as he draws his third katana.

"Barrier void," Quat begins, "an attack that uses reiraku byakuya to strike past the I.S. armor for an instant victory, but for some reason you haven't used it yet. Why not?"

Adrian looks to Quat's thighs, upper arm, neck, and head.

'The only places not protected by armor and only places barrier void can work.'

Adrian recalls his previous attempts at striking those places.

'No good, he repelled each of them. My wings can pierce his armor, but he keeps blocking them too.'

Adrian blast Quat with his left wrist blaster and Quat evades by flying up. Adrian flanks Quat's left, slashing with his left wings. Quat catches the wings with his left shotel and Adrian responds by stabbing with his right wings. Quat drops down avoiding the attack and Adrian blasts with his right wrist blaster. The impact unbalances Quat as he falls to the ground and Adrian follows with his katana ready.

Quat re-stabilizes himself before hitting the floor and redirects himself diagonally up, both dodging the blade and bringing himself to Adrian's side. Quat swings both shotel into Adrian catching him in between the two crescent moon blades. Understanding Quat's intention, Adrian uses his wings and two katana to block the advancement of the shotel

Adrian hears his wings beginning to crack from the pressure and desperately tries to develop a plan.

"You should have... surrendered." Quat informs Adrian.

"Not... a chance." Adrian replies threw his teeth.

"Then before you die, I'll tell you. My name... is Quat."

Looking Quat in the eyes, Adrian comes up with a solution. He removes a katana from the guard and thrusts towards Quat's neck.

An explosion blows Quat away and frees Adrian from the two shotel. Looking over, Adrian sees the Sarashiki sisters coming to his aid.

'Just one second.' Adrian dirges his failure to defeat his enemy.

"Adrian," Tatenashi calls, "leave this us. You go help Ichika and the others."

"Too dangerous." Adrian responds, grouping up with the two sisters.

"Who do you think we are?" Tatenashi scolds. "You'll just get in our way."

"Really now?" Adrian dryly asks.

"Yes, now go. Be a hero." Kanzashi replies while firing another missile barrage.

"Fine," Adrian responds leaving, "his main weapons are his two heat shotel. His armor is probably made from anti-beam metal and protects his I.S. shields."

…..

Duo slashes his scythe cutting Charlotte's rifle in two. He continues forward, ramming his shoulder into the female and bashing her strait into a wall. As Duo backs away, he grabs Charlotte's head and tosses her towards an approaching Ichika.

"Teh, this is too easy." Duo pauses to relish in the approaching victory.

Looking around, Duo observes the situation.

'Dang, Triton facing Houki, Laura, and Cecilia all at once and still hasn't broken a sweat.' Duo comments on the red I.S. pilot. 'And he's only using that little knife to boot.'

'And Chang really hasn't let up on Rin.' Duo comments on the green I.S. pilot. 'I wonder if it cause they're both Chinese?'

Duo casually swings his scythe to the side, striking Ichika on the head with the metal rod.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to catch me by surprise, bub!" Duo challengingly declares.

Duo screams out in pain as something strikes him from behind.

…..

Adrian finishes his cut and fires his wrist blasters towards the falling Duo. Confirming that Duo was hit by the attack, Adrian proceeds towards Chang.

Chang holds Rin with his duel headed trident and shoots at Adrian with his scorpion tail. Adrian weaves between blasts, closing the distance, and cuts with his sword. Chang pushes Rin away and blocks the cut with his trident's pole.

Chang round house kicks Adrian in an attempt to break the stalemate. Adrian drops back allowing gravity to pull his head to the ground. Upside down, Adrian fires his wrist blasters. Confirming the attack's success, Adrian changes his fall into a dive.

Flying along the ground, Adrian locates Triton. Triton notices Adrian and pulls back. Houki, Laura, and Cecilia, who are currently fighting Triton, give chase. Triton points his gatling gun and fires. All three girls widen their eyes in surprise as the attack blows them away. Triton shifts his attention towards Adrian and launches his missiles.

Dodging the missiles, Adrian uses the explosions to boost his charge and quickly closes the distance between himself and Triton. Meters apart, Adrian cuts his sword down towards Tritons head. Triton opens his chest plates in response and fires his chest gatling guns. Adrian dodges to the side and redirects his swing onto Triton's stomach. Adrian continues forward cutting Triton, gets behind him, turns, and slashes Triton's back sending him to the ground. Adrian aims and fires his wrist blasters. Duo intercepts the attack, blocking it by lowering his front demon wings over his body.

"So, he failed." Chang says grouping up with Duo and Triton.

"Yeah, sure looks like it." Duo replies.

"Regardless, our object is still the same." Triton finishes.

"Adrian!" Ichika shouts in relief grouping up with his friend.

"Prepare yourselves," Adrian warns his friends as they gather around him. "and don't die."

'With the momentum lost, I no longer have the advantage.'

…..

"I don't have time for you two!" Quat shouts as he slashes Kanzashi with his shotel.

"Kanzashi!" Tatenashi shouts lunging forward with her lance.

Quat falls back and allows the two to gather. With the two together, Quat fires a pair of missiles hidden in his shoulders.

Tatenashi creates a water shield protecting her sister and herself, but is still blown away.

"He escaped." Tatenashi laments as she rises to her feet.

"Kanzashi!" Tatenashi screams seeing her sister. "Hold on, I'll get you to hospital."

Tatenashi takes her sisters and leaves the battle.

…..

Rin stops and turns at the sound of Cecilia grunting. There, she sees a new male swinging a shotel towards the blond. In response, Rin fires her impact cannon and blows Quat away.

"Copy that." Rin hears Quat say. To her surprise, she hears confirmations coming from the other invaders as well.

"What are you going on about!" Rin cries swinging her SoutenGagetsu at Quat's head.

Quat dodges the attack, repels Rin, and gathers at the hole in the wall with his comrades.

"All clear." Rin hears Triton say.

…..

"Roger that." Another man, wearing a golden v-ed tiara, says floating directly above the I.S. academy.

The man aims a twin barreled rifle at the academy and says, "Target, locked."

The man pulls the trigger.

…..

"Fall back!" Adrian shouts as his companions attempt to rush the retreating males.

Ignoring Adrian, the girls and Ichika continue forward as a beam of light pierces threw the ceiling and strikes the ground. The resulting explosion blows everyone away.

As Adrian comes, he opens his eyes and sees a hole in the ceiling.

"So much for the shields..." Adrian mumbles rising to his feet.

Looking around, Adrian sees that the entire arena is in ruins. Ignoring the pain in his body he searches for his friends. Adrian barely walks two steps when he sees another hole in the ground before him directly beneath the hole in the ceiling.

"Adrian!" A familiar voice calls out.

"Ichika." Adrian replies turning.

Ichika stares at his friend. "Why are you Adriana?" he asks.

* * *

A/N: This was a fun one to write and was even left with a bit of a cliff hanger. I tried doing something different by inserting some side adventures within the overall progress of the chapter instead of doing a strait run and meeting each object one at a time. I like how it turned out, it kinda gives it a more real life feel and makes the characters more dynamic. On a side note, the I.S. academy has been attacked. Who were these mysterious youths? Does anyone know? Also, I'm created GX-07 aka Stratos and will soon post a video of it youtube demonstrating it.

Ja ne


	4. Condition

Condition

I.S. Academy Year Two: Wings

By Warriorseadra

* * *

"Why are you Adriana?" Ichika asks his friend.

"Adriana?" Adrian questions cutely, looking herself over.

After a brief pause, Adriana replies while scratching her head, "The hologram projector must be broken. I can fix it later."

"If you say so..." Ichika replies. "But, those pilots..."

"Yes, looks like the organization finally made its move." she hums.

"But for them to attack during the class league match..."

"It makes fo-"

"Adriana?" Charlotte calls out approaching the two.

The teen pauses and her sweet smile spreads into a grin. In a bubbly voice, the teen continues speaking. "-r a perfect opportunity. Once inside, not only would they have all of the academy's students in one place. Also-"

"Also, they would have plenty of hostages as well." Laura interjects, "Everyone's first priority would be evacuating the arena."

"But, Adriana?" Rin asks announcing herself. "Why are you Adriana, again?"

"The hologram projector is damaged." Adriana responds with a giggle.

"Why are you speaking like that?" Houki asks in annoyance, stepping forward.

"Can't help it." Adriana smiles while waving her hand. "My responses as Adriana have been conditioned to emerge whenever anyone mentions that name."

"You're conditioned... to behave like that?" Cecilia asks in shock.

"That's right." Adriana chirps. "The best way to deceive is with honesty."

"Ho-how long does this 'condition' last, Adriana?" Rin asks.

"About five to ten minutes from when that name is last said." Adriana responds with a smile while swaying from side to side. "Now, if you could, please stop calling me that."

"O-oh, yeah, sorry" Rin responds in embarrassment.

"This is your original I.S.?" Cecilia asks confused. "You said it was confiscated."

"Oh please," Adriana giggles waving her hand back and forth before her face. "I knew exactly where Stratos was. I just needed an opportunity and go and get him."

"You stole it from the instructor." Laura gasps.

"Yeah, pretty much." Adriana responds.

"Do you... do you realize what you've done?" Ichika pales.

"Yeah," Adriana pouts, "But Stratos is my stratos. Without him, all of us would have probably died."

"Adrian," Agent K calls out approaching the group. "Orimura-sensei wants to speak with you. The rest of you, report to the sick bay for examination."

…..

"You called for me, Orimura-sensei?" Adriana's cheerful voice calls out.

"Come with me." Orimura-sensei responds leading the teen to a more secluded location of the Academy.

"What do you know?" Orimura-sensei asks turning.

"We were attacked by the organization." Adriana responds, her composure becoming serious. "Five males, each with a generation three stratos, attacked the academy during the competition. Taking advantage of the academy's open doors, they infiltrated the academy. Then, using the academy's responsibility to protect the students and spectators to their advantage, they attacked. Their target was most likely Ichika."

"Out of the five pilots, one remained outside, three attacked the arena, and the fifth roamed the academy. What was that person looking for?"

"Most likely, that pilot was tasked with preventing anyone from interfering." Adrian lies. "Our encounter was purely coincidental. At most, he must have been trying to retrieve Stratos."

"GX-07, how did you re-acquire it?" asks Orimura-sensei narrowing her eyes.

"It was easy." Adriana responds looking to her ring. "The defenses here are easy to hack, anyone can do it. There was just no reason to take Stratos back until today."

With a sigh, Adriana removes her ring deactivating the hologram projector. Adrian holds out the ring, presenting it to Orimura-sensei.

"Please understand, I took Stratos because of today's circumstances. I would not have done this if I did not have to."

"I see." Orimura-sensei responds taking the ring after a moments silence. "You are dismissed, get yourself treated at a medical bay."

Instinctively, Adrian salutes before excusing himself.

"She was lying." Agent K calls out.

"She?" Yamada-sensei's voice asks.

"She was Adriana at the moment." Agent K slyly responds. "For the records, let's write her in depending on the sex she's displaying."

Orimura-sensei sighs in frustration. "This will only make things more confusing later."

"You said she was lying?" Yamada-sensei questions.

"That encounter wasn't a coincidence. Adriana must have known someone else was inside. But enough speculation, let's start from the top." Agent K states changing her tone.

"Agreed." Orimura-sensei responds, "Yamada-sensei, please report the situation"

"Very well. Today was the interclass league match. Using the confusion of outsiders entering the academy to watch the matches, members of this 'organization' infiltrated the Academy. Then, during Orimura-san's match, they began their attack. There were five in total. The first three occupied the arena. We believe their target was Orimura-san. A fourth pilot infiltrated the academy buildings. We suspect he eliminated the twenty members of the defense squad and injured the Sarashiki sisters. Furthermore, a final fifth member was stationed above the arena and is believed responsible for giant explosion. Now, while the first three are shown to have hacked the Academy's system to lower the arena's defenses, the fifth member did no such thing and penetrated our shields at full power. At the moment, we are uncertain of how Adriana plays into this, but the general assumption is that the fourth member, Quat from what the security systems gathered, was tasked with retrieving GX-07 and silencing Adriana." Yamada-sensei finishes speaking ending her report.

"On whether Quat was charged with eliminating Adriana is irrelevant. This, most likely, is a priority for each of them." Agent K comments. "However, giving Adriana's lack of knowledge regarding the 'organization,' this point may be seen as moot."

"Agreed," Orimura-sensei continues, "however, seeing how four of them were stationed to the arena, Orimura is either a bigger priority than silencing Adrian or a momentary distraction."

"Due to the Alaska treaty and inability to examine I.S. Cores, they most likely are not concerned with GX-07's core." Yamada-sensei continues. "However, GX-07 has generation four, proto-type fold-out armor. Due to Adriana- excuse me, Adrian's supposed betray, the organization should be giving him more priories than Orimura-san. Attacking the arena would give cover for one person to enter the Academy building's unnoticed."

"Over all, they should have four priorities, correct?" Agent K asks.

"Yes," Orimura-sensei confirms. "In the most likely order; first, should be retrieving GX-07; second, is Orimura Ichika; third, Adrian; and fourth, GX-07's core."

"Although," Agent K continues, "If the opportunity arises, they may proceed to silence Adriana first. Having betrayed her 'organization,' she is a liability to them. However, until we can determine the truth of this matter, she is also a liability for us."

"Do we know how they entered the arena?" Orimura-sensei asks.

"Yes," Agent K responds, "I believe I-"

…..

Having excused himself, Adrian proceeds to a medical bay.

"Sarashik-san." He calls out spotting blue hair.

The girl turns and approaches Adrian.

"It's Tatenashi," the girl corrects, jabbing Adrian with her finger. "Ta-te-na-shi. Say it with me."

""Tatenashi.""

"Good. Now, is something wrong?"

"No, I just came to see if you and your sister were alright."

"Well..." Tatenashi sighs, "I'm fine, but Kanzashi got hurt pretty bad. She'll be fine, but still... I couldn't protect her."

After a moments silence, Adrian excuses himself.

'I couldn't stop them.'

Upon finishing his examination, Adrian returns to his room.

…..

"Has anyone seen Adrian?" Ichika asks the girls during lunch.

Rin blinks, "Honestly, I didn't notice he was gone. What about you guys?"

"No, sorry, nope, not really." The other four reply in shame.

"You don't think something happened to him, do you?" Charlotte worries.

"Doubtful," Laura responds, "he's much stronger than he lets on."

"That's true." Houki agrees.

"Still, it's been almost a week since the attack." Cecilia comments. "This is suspicious."

"Yeah, just yesterday I realized he hasn't been coming to class." Ichika continues. "He wasn't in the me-"

"Orimura Ichika-san." a voice interrupts. Agent K steps forward, gives Ichika a package, and walks away.

"What's this?" Ichika wonders aloud. Suddenly, he feels the air around him drop twenty degrees and his spine stiffens. Slowly, the teen turns to see four raging demons and a smiling angel.

"Tell us, Ichika-san." The angel speaks first. "Just who was that charming lady?"

Cold sweat slowly trickles down Ichika's back. 'That smile is going to kill me...'

""""Well?"""" The four demons demand.

…..

"This seems quite risky, wouldn't you agree?" An old gentleman asks.

"Yes Kutsuwagi Juuzou-san, it is. But this may be the best course of action available." Agent K responds.

…..

Ichika walks down a hall with five girls close behind. He holds a ring box in his hand.

'They almost killed me when I first unwrapped it.' Ichika cries to himself. 'If it wasn't because Laura examined the inside... I don't want to think about it.'

"-don't really think his room is down here, do you?" Houki asks.

"Well, what do we know?" Cecilia asks.

"Didn't he once say his room was near the academy's security section?" Charlotte wonders.

"Great, where's that?" Rin asks.

…..

"Don't you think he himself might pose a problem?"

"No, not after everything that's happened. If he wants to do something, then he will. Of that I am certain."

…..

"Odd," Houki begins, "no one from these dorms know anything about Adrian."

"Yeah, their eyes almost popped out outta their heads." Rin giggles.

"But then, Adrian isn't here" Laura narrows her eyes.

"So where is he?"

…..

"What of the danger he'll pose. Not only is he a liability to them, but equipping him will only make him more tempting. Then again, leaving him won't change anything."

"Correct, this way he can provide some benefit for us. Whether it be as a shield or a sword."

…..

"This place is just like a maze!" Cecilia complains.

"Well, this is the Academy's security team's base." Houki responds. "But, do you really think Adrian is in here."

"Well, where else could he be?" Ichika retorts.

The group grows silent as they continue walking. Their footsteps echo in the silent corridor.

…..

"But, there's more, isn't there?"

"Yes, if he makes contact with them, we will know. As you mentioned, sir. Equipping him will only make him more tempting."

"I see."

…..

"Finally!" Cecilia rejoices, "My feet were starting to kill me."

"Yeah," Rin murmurs looking into an open room, "but do you really think Adrian is down here? These holding cells look really depressing..."

…..

"That concludes the report, Mr. President."

"Thank you agent K, you may take your leave." As agent K leaves, Kutsuwagi Juuzou sighs linking his fingers together.

…..

Adrian ignores the footsteps echoing down the hall.

'If they have something to ask, they'll come straight here.'

Sighing, Adrian returns to his previous thoughts.

'I couldn't cut him...' Adrian recalls his match against Quat. 'I can get past energy and the energy shields, I can't cut metal. But, most weapons can, even Yukihira Niigata. I suppose that's where our weapons differ...'

A knock resounds of Adrian's door. Cautiously, he stands and walks to the door carefully examining it. 'They never knock...'

"Yes?" He calls, standing off to the side of the door ready for an attack.

"Adrian?" A familiar voice calls.

Voices cheering "We found him!" and "Finally!" ring out afterwards.

Slowly, Adrian opens the door. "Is something wrong?" he asks.

"No," Ichika cheerfully replies, "We were just asked... to bring... this..." Ichika trails off upon seeing the interior of Adrian's room.

"You live here!?" Cecilia asks in horror. "You can barely call this a room!"

Slowly, the group enters the room and examine it in shock.

"No way this is a bed!" Rin cries out pointing to a plank and small mattress suspended off the wall.

"You should have said something, Adrian." Charlotte says walking up to the teen.

"It's fine, I have my own bathroom." Adrian shrugs. "You said you had something for me?"

"Oh, right." Ichika responds, returning to his senses he holds out the ring box. "I was asked to give this to you."

Slowly, Adrian takes the box and opens it. Inside lays his stratos in standby mode. Gently, he picks up the ring and holds it on the palm of his hand where he carefully examines it.

"I believe this is also for you." Ichika interrupts holding out a new cell phone. "It came with this card."

Opening the card, Adrian mentally reads the message, 'Keep this with you at all times.'

…..

"As I thought, live bait."

* * *

A/N: A short chapter, I know, but I'm back. The reason I was off for so long is because I was writing some applications for studying abroad this up coming year. Now that it's finished, I can start writing again. I'm amazed on how a person can be unmotivated to write something. But on with some ramblings about this chapter.

First off, I'm a bit surprised with agent K. Agent K was meant to be just some random character to connect the secret security team to the rest of the story, but somehow she ended up being a major behind the scenes player. I'm not disappointed though. You can expect to see more of her too. This is a short chapter, but I just want to get it out as soon as I can. I am that excited. Just wait until the next release, we'll see what happens to Adrian then. I promise, it won't another four months like this one did.


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